How to Look at Your Neighborhood

The guide defines a step-by-step process for looking at your neighborhood by completing a series of exercises, each of which are described and then illustrated with an actual neighborhood example. The guide uses information about the Washington Square West neighborhood to illustrate the approach to each of the six components, while also introducing elements from other neighborhoods to help understand the broader range of architectural styles and building types found in Philadelphia neighborhoods.

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Guides

  1. Defining Neighborhood Boundaries and Context
  2. Describing Neighborhood History and Current Conditions
  3. Defining General Land Use Patterns
  4. Describing Residential Sub-areas and their Character
  5. Identifying Historic Landmarks and Districts

Activities

  1. Defining Neighborhood Boundaries and Context
  2. Describing Neighborhood History and Current Conditions
  3. Defining General Land Use Patterns
  4. Describing Residential Sub-areas and their Character
  5. Identifying Historic Landmarks and Districts

Acknowledgements

Originally published in print and as a PDF as How to Look at your Neighborhood: A Guide for Community Organizations (2011), this version of the guide is maintained by the Local Preservation School and published under a Creative Commons Attribution license with permission from Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia.